A new study published in PLOS One used a robot baby to explore the reason why babies smile at caregivers, according to CBC News. The findings showed that babies smile to get their mother or other caregiver to smile back, not simply to imitate them. The study builds upon earlier research that examined 13 mother-and-baby pairs and determined that the babies were smiling because the mother was smiling, according to the International Business Times.
"If you've ever interacted with babies, you suspect that they're up to something when they're smiling. They're not just smiling randomly," said Javier Movellan, one of the co-authors of the study.
The study used a robot programmed to act like a baby and had it interact with students.
"What makes our study unique is that previous approaches to studying infant-parent interaction essentially describe patterns," said Dan Messinger, one of the co-authors of the study. "Here, we find that infants have their own goals in the interaction, even before four months of age."
The study also found that babies make their caregivers smile using sophisticated timing that allows them to smile as little as possible to get a reaction.
In addition to understanding mother-baby interactions, the researchers believe that they can use the results to further understand typical and atypical social behavior among babies, according to Medical News Today.
